Scarlett woke the next morning to find Saanvi in her room, but her mother put a finger to her lips as she handed her daughter a slice of buttered toast. "Your father's gone out," she whispered, "and his vigilance has lapsed just long enough. Eat this quickly; he won't be gone for long, and if he catches me with an empty plate, he's going to want to know why."91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNC0l7dcNMT
Scarlett needed no further urging, and she hastily gobbled down the toast. After a night without dinner, it was almost as good as a feast. "Thanks," Scarlett whispered. "But how do I convince him not to make me miss lunch as well? He didn't believe me yesterday when I tried telling him the news of my arranged marriage was a surprise."
"I wish I knew," Saanvi said, taking the plate back with a sigh. "You know nothing gets past him, and it was only by the most fortuitious stroke of luck I was able to get this to you." She kissed her daughter on the cheek. "If I can think of something, I'll let you know; I'm not even supposed to talk to you at the moment, according to your father." Her mouth twisted in a grimace to show what she thought of that, but clearly she had little time to explain further, and Scarlett didn't blame her mother in the slightest for being scared. The servants were loyal to her father, and Scarlett knew that, despite Arjun's lapsed vigilance, someone was going to blab to their master when he arrived home. Scarlett decided the best thing she could do at the moment was go for a swim, but even then, she knew it would be a lonely affair. If she was under such disgrace whereby her own mother wasn't allowed to talk to her, then her friends would likewise be forbidden from coming over.
Scarlett swore as she stalked into the shower. She'd have to seriously convince her father she was prepared to do her duty and marry the man he'd chosen for her, no matter how distasteful she found it. But how could she do that when he could see right through to the core of her?
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Scarlett was floating in the pool when her father returned; the first she knew was when his shadow fell over her, and she righted herself, her heart pounding as she met his stony face. "I didn't say you could leave the house," he said coldly. "I thought you had the good sense to know you were grounded; do I have to lock you in your room until your wedding day?"91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6x6LxN8LN1
"You can do whatever the damn hell you like," Scarlett snapped, finally at the end of her tether. "It's not going to matter a damn to you whether I say yes to your purported son-in-law; you're going to make me do it, even if you have to supervise the ceremony and the bedding afterwards to make sure I conceive your precious grandchild! I know what my destiny is; it's my first name, for Christ's sake! There's no need to ram it down my throat all the time, and if it wasn't for the fact I'm still willing to go through with it despite your bullshit, I'd tell you where to go, how to get there, and what to do when you get there!"
Arjun's eyes were wide by the time Scarlett finished her rant, and despite the growing dread in her heart for having unloaded so viciously, she nevertheless felt pride at having finally unburdened herself. Her punishment would probably be a hundred times more severe now, but as Arjun's face darkened, Scarlett knew she'd do it again and again, and twice on Sundays, if for no other reason than to see her father knocked down a peg or three. Destiny was all very well and good, but there was no sense ramming it down a person's throat!
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